October 29, 2009

Magic 8 Ball sez: "Someone really appreciates you". I was shopping at the Giant Eagle after work in my monkey suit and tie, carrying my shopping bag with the sculpted brown rubber face, reminiscent of the scary Fighting Trees that grabbed the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. I always get comments on it. Just past the frozen food forest, I'm hailed by a young mother with tatoos, pony-tails and piercings. "Hey Mark! Remember me?" Of course not. "You represented my brother in his divorce and you got him the house. He died last month in a motorcycle accident. We always really appreciated what you did for him." Hmm... Receiving praise for bravely leading them through the carnival fun house and the masterful way I delivered them, unharmed, at the exit. "I'm glad I was able to help him." Then I moved on to my real area of expertise; chatting about my shopping bag with her little girl.

Some great acts have been coming to town. Oakhurst from Colorado last Friday at Victorian's was a pleasant surprise. Gogol Bordello and Leonard Cohen were here Tuesday. Leonard was transcendent. Mr. Dylan is here this coming Tuesday and..

Thursday, tonight, one of my favorite oddity bands and incredibly great musicians, The Tiger Lillies, are at the Wexner. Perfect for a Halloween weekend. I once dressed up as the title character in their mini-opera, Shock Headed Peter, with foot-long fingernails made out of wire and tape. One of my best ever. Couldn't drink a beer or go to the bathroom by myself, however. This year I will probably just unchain my Hunchback of Notre Dame again.

The clubs have really ramped it up this weekend with benefit bashes and some scary good line-ups.

Friday, El Jesus de Magico, Necropolis and Jordan O' Jordan are at Carabar and the annual Ravari Halloween Bash with lots of pop music impersonations always gets good reviews. The Andyman's CD101 For the Kids Benefit fills the happy hour at Rumba followed by Southeast Engine and Monolithic Cloud Parade. Another branch of the CD101 benefit is at the Treehouse. Skully's has The Receiver, Brainbow and The Main Street Gospel. Megan Palmer & the Hopefuls are at the Thirsty Ear and Rollo and Old Worlds are at Victorian's.

Saturday, there is the Highball on North High St. in the Short North. The costume contest was really good last year and the whole atmosphere rivaled Athens for fun, if not mayhem. Afterwards, I will certainly be heading down to Dick's for Happy Chichester . Other options include The Floorwalkers at Ruby's, The Good Company Halloween Show at Rumba, The Spikedrivers and Two Cow Garage will be at Skully's and more CD101 For the Kids at the Treehouse where local musicians will be covering their favorites, including, I'm told, Erika Carey perfoming songs from her girlhood crush, Tom Petty.

October 15, 2009

Despite my moniker, I am a domestic relations attorney and I handle issues involving children all the time. Quite often, when someone is trying to explain something about a case to me, they feel like they have to ask me "Do you have any kids?" to determine whether or not I'm able to understand whatever wisdom it is that they are about to impart to me. People don't realize that question can be as dangerous as asking a woman with a large belly if she's pregnant. That question has been difficult for me to answer the past seven years; not emotionally, I'm cool about it, but intellectually. I could say "What difference does it make?" but I doubt that would dissuade them from arguing the point. I could say "No" but I don't feel like denying that I used to be a parent and they might say something stupid like "Well, then, you'll never understand.". My response is always, "I used to be." It's short, it's true and I can only hope that it will clue them into the thought that maybe they shouldn't go any farther but it rarely works. They usually take it as too mysterious a response to let lie. I usually satisfy their curiosity but I resent being required to do so and I always have to listen to how they find it so unimaginable. Well, guess what, it happens to a lot of people and they live through it. And guess what else, you don't need to be a parent to understand that children, just like any human being, need to be loved, need to be supported and need to be safe.

The last half hour I've been writing this, I've been listening to an excruciatingly amazing recording of John Lennon and Yoko Ono from Cambridge,1969, Unfinished Music No. 2, "Life with the Lions" on WFMU which I find preferable to listening to the pledge drive on CBE. I encourage you to join me in sending them in some money so that we will continue to have some choice when we need it.

A lot of great stuff this weekend for a change.

Thursday, tonight, The Spikedrivers do the happy hour at Rumba followed by Pokey LaFarge and The Razers. Za's Pawnshop Special is at Treehouse and Cowboy Hillbilly Hippy Folk Festival at Victorian's features, among others, bluegrass kids, Dottie & Clyde and my funny buds from down Athens-way, The Paranormals.

Friday, Superdesserts are at Carabar, the fest continues at Vic's with the hosts, CHHF performing with a host of others. Earwig and Bush League All-Stars are at Ravari. The Pick of the Weekend, however, is at Rumba with The Mendelsonics doing the happy hour followed by Roger Klug & Band from Cincy, then Happy Chichester solo around 11 joined by Derek DiCenzo and Sam Brown at midnight.

Saturday, the Clintonville Co-op street party/benefit/festival has Erika Carey & the Calamities at 1 followed by everybody's favorite local guru, Frank Tennyson, then Miss Molly and Jesse Henry, Eric Nassau, Rosco and Za's Pawnshop Special. Kudos to all the performers and volunteers for supporting this great little community resource. Later, Jesse Henry returns with his Royal Tycoons to Dick's, Guinea Worms and TV Ghost are at Cafe Bourbon Street, Mary Adam 12 is at Ruby's, Number 1 Cat and Wet Darlings are at Rumba, The George Elliot Underground and The Lost Revival are at Skully's, Whoa Nellie is at The Thirsty Ear and The Floorwalkers are at Victorian's. Whew!

Sunday, real early, I will strap on the accordion and jam with friends at the corner of Waltham and Andover as the marathoners race by.

Monday, The Cowtown Round is at Rumba with Jason Quicksall, Jesse Henry, if he still has a voice, and Joey Hebdo. mark

Them thats got shall getThem thats not shall loseSo the Bible said and it still is news Mama may have, papa may haveBut God bless the child thats got his ownThats got his own

October 8, 2009

Hi, I'm Mark and I have a self-expression addiction, a compulsive desire to make others aware of what I think and feel in order to satisfy my craving for an answer to the question "Can you hear me?" It's like I'm afraid of being the tree that falls in the woods that nobody hears. And lately, in the darkness of my private forest, the sound of my questions crackling in the snapping branches and crashing tree trunk have gone unanswered. I'm tempted to continue yelling "Timber!" but I've decided to resist the urge to have it all explained. I'm just going to lie here, quietly now, and listen to the songs of the birds and the wind rustling through the leaves and hope that some sun light shines through the new hole in the forest canopy.

Thursday, tonight, a band I enjoyed from pe-Comfest reconnaisance, Alert New London, is at Oldfield's. Wonder Twin Powers does another Peloton Records showcase with Tod May and Cur Dogs at Ruby's and Two Cow Garage is at Rumba.

Friday, Lydia Loveless and Grace Adele do the Twang Alliance thang during Rumba's happy hour followed by Bucktown Kickback. Wolfgang Parker rises again at Skully's with Vegas 66 and Cotton Jackson. Miss Molly shares the stage with Tin Hearts and The Alwood Sisters at Treehouse.

Saturday, the Italian Festival returns for the weekend allowing me to make my annual pilgrimage to the Church of My Favorite Pizza. Gil Mantera's Party Dream reoccurs at Skully's.

Monday, Wilco is at the Wex but after recently seeing them in Athens and watching their documentary, I'm satisfied for a while.

Wednesday, quite a show at The Summit with Times New Viking and Envelope.

October 1, 2009

The Summit On Walhalla street party was scheduled for 6 to 10 PM last Saturday. I had been watching the weather reports all week and they got more dismal every day. I've helped organize quite a few outdoor music events in my time but they usually have larger windows of opportunity to get some music in and salvage the event in case of rain. This was like trying to sink a 30 foot putt surrounded by a water hazard. Saturday came and it was raining all day, really hard at times. Fortunately, I had the Buckeye football game to keep my spirits up. The game ended about 6:30 and it stopped raining. I set up my stage with the help of a few friends, the band and the neighbors emerged from their dens of skepticism, the weather was beautiful, the music was great, the food was tasty, the crowd was decent and we wrapped it up at 10 PM. As we loitered around the site blissfully enjoying our magical fortune, it started to rain and we hurried to tear down and continue the party at my house and then on to Rumba. I've always thought I was born under lucky stars, and, so it seems, clear skies.

Friday, Cowboy Hillbilly Hippie Folk are at Byrne's early, Buffalo Killers and The Main Street Gospel are at Ravari, Micah Schnabel of Two Cow Garage is solo with the Razers, and This Is My Suitcase, Our Cat Phillip and Paper Airplane are at The Summit.

Saturday, after seeing his face at my street party and then on a billboard at Grandview and 5th, how could I not check out Daniel Work's stuff at Roy G Biv during Gallery Hop? Later, Wonder Twin Powers (got it right this time) are at Hal & Al's, 1297 Parsons Ave. I haven't been there yet and this might be a good time to check it out considering The Lindsay is just down the street at Carabar. The Alt Ohio benefit with, among others, Tin Armor is at Rumba, Matt Munhall and Josh Kracjik are at Skully's and Charlie Wonder's Rock & Roll Circus is at the Thirsty Ear with No. 1 Cat and True Moves with Eric Wrong and Bob Starker.